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Tinubu’s Livestock Development Ministry Raises Doubts About ‘Oronsaye Report’ Implementation

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President Bola Tinubu

Last week, President Bola Tinubu approved the creation of the Ministry of Livestock Development.

NIGERIA NEWS 247 reported that Tinubu announced this on Tuesday while inaugurating the Presidential Committee on Livestock Reforms at the Council Chamber of the State House in Abuja.

The decision to establish the Ministry of Livestock Development has sparked divergent views from stakeholders. Some observers see it as indicative of the administration’s lack of commitment to the Oronsaye Report’s implementation. Critics argue that an additional ministry is unnecessary and undermines efforts to reduce the cost of governance.

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For example, activist lawyer Madubuachi Idam, in an interview with NIGERIA NEWS 247, described the Ministry of Livestock Development as a duplication of existing ministries, leading to unnecessary expenditure during a period of economic hardship. He suggested that the new ministry should have been integrated into the Ministry of Agriculture.

“Without gimmicks, I will tell you that it’s grossly a duplication of actions, needless duplication of ministries. It’s a pure waste of public resources. The Ministry of Agriculture, which has an agency called the Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Service, can sufficiently handle every issue regarding livestock management and herders-farmers issues,” Idam said.

NIGERIA NEWS 247 noted that the new ministry follows recommendations from a presidential committee set up by Tinubu to reform the livestock industry and address recurring clashes between farmers and herders. The committee presented 21 recommendations, including the creation of the Ministry of Livestock Resources.

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President Tinubu, enthusiastic about the development, expressed confidence that the new ministry would resolve conflicts between farmers and herders. He emphasized the potential for livestock farming to enhance Nigeria’s prosperity.

“Who says the solution is far? I say, ‘No, the solution is here.’ Majority of you have great experience and you want Nigeria to prosper. To enable Nigeria to finally take advantage of livestock farming, we have seen the solution and opportunity for this adversity that has plagued us over the years and I believe the prosperity is here in our hands,” he said.

Following the approval, Tinubu further stated that the government would cover the cost of acquiring land to ensure peaceful co-existence between pastoralists and farmers.

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Previously, in February 2024, Tinubu had ordered the full implementation of the Oronsaye Report, aiming to streamline government by merging and scrapping some agencies. Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, announced that many agencies would be scrapped or merged to create a leaner government.

“Twelve years after the Steve Oronsaye panel submitted its report on restructuring and rationalizing Federal government parastatals and agencies and a white paper issued two years after, President Tinubu and the Federal Executive Council today decided to implement the report. Many agencies will be scrapped and many others will be merged, to pave the way to a leaner government,” Onanuga posted on his X account.

Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, also confirmed that some Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) would be scrapped, merged, or subsumed to cut costs without causing mass layoffs. He added that a committee had been set up for the report’s implementation.

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However, despite these moves, the National Assembly continues to pass establishment bills for new agencies and commissions. Recently, the Senate passed bills for the establishment of the North Central Development Commission (NCDC) and the South-East Development Commission (SEDC).

Rep. Ibrahim Isiaka, Chairman of the special ad hoc committee, stated that the National Assembly cannot halt its legislative functions despite plans to implement the Oronsaye report. He emphasized that the creation of agencies was part of the legislature’s ongoing process to meet current needs.

Public Affairs Analyst and Communication Scholar at Peaceland University, Enugu, Nduka Odo, criticized the creation of the new ministry, arguing that it signaled a focus on empowering a select few rather than reducing the cost of governance. He called for accountability and a reduction in government expenses.

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The President of the Civil Rights Realisation and Advancement Network (CRRAN), Olu Omotayo, echoed these sentiments, arguing that realistic development, not the creation of new ministries, was what the people needed.

“The government should be decisive or have a policy and say: this is where we are going. If you want to cut the cost of governance, there’s no need for duplicating ministries. What the people need now is realistic development. They want to see things happening on the ground and not the creation of corporations and departments,” Omotayo said.

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